The present invention relates to systems and methods for identifying a position of a subject within a facility. More particularly, the invention relates to a system and method for identifying a position of a subject who may have fallen within the indoor facility based upon a change in position or derivative thereof, for example, as detected by a body-worn unit.
Falls are one of the most common causes of detriments to the elderly, as has been documented by many clinical studies over the past several years. When individuals fall in their workplaces, they are usually discovered quite rapidly. However, if individuals fall in their private residences, they may or may not be discovered in a timely manner, depending on whether they live alone. Several alerting mechanisms for fall reporting in private residences are currently available. For example, several alerting systems are available in which the individual wears an electronic pendant on a chain around the neck and is instructed to push a button on the pendant following a fall. If they push the button successfully, help is dispatched from a central call center to the individual's residence.
However, when individuals fall in large eldercare facilities, they may or may not be found quickly because it may not be known that the individual has fallen, and especially where they have fallen. Even a generalized warning message that an individual has fallen may not be sufficient to get prompt care to the individual in a large facility, particularly if their whereabouts are unknown. Additionally, if the individual is incapacitated and unable to push a button or otherwise effectuate a warning message, whether in a private residence or an eldercare facility, significant amounts of time may elapse before they are discovered. If fallen individuals are “down” for more than about 15 minutes prior to rescue, their physiological status begins to dramatically degrade with time.
Thus, there is a need for systems and methods to identify a position and/or location of a fallen subject that operate autonomously within a large facility where conventional alerting mechanisms do not provide location data relative to the patient or operate without conscious intervention on the part of the fallen individual.